Educating future product developers in collaborative product development : lessons learned from the european global product realization (EGPR) international course

Changes in the business environment, responses of companies to these changes and the available information and communication technologies (ICT) pose a number of challenges to present and future product developers, as well as to educational institutions. An appropriate response to these challenges is to create a solid basis for strategies to combat stronger competition, since existing educational programs have provided this only to a small extent. In our opinion, the E-GPR course carried out by 5 European universities reflects the tasks of professional product development teams and their work conditions as realistically as possible and will enable students attending the E-GPR course who will soon enter the professional world to later progress along a steeper learning curve. This paper focuses on the role of communication between members of virtual teams and presents experiences gathered during the organization, designing and performance of each year’s courses

Examining the role of smart TVs and VR HMDs in synchronous at-a-distance media consumption

This article examines synchronous at-a-distance media consumption from two perspectives: How it can be facilitated using existing consumer displays (through TVs combined with smartphones), and imminently available consumer displays (through virtual reality (VR) HMDs combined with RGBD sensing). First, we discuss results from an initial evaluation of a synchronous shared at-a-distance smart TV system, CastAway. Through week-long in-home deployments with five couples, we gain formative insights into the adoption and usage of at-a-distance media consumption and how couples communicated during said consumption. We then examine how the imminent availability and potential adoption of consumer VR HMDs could affect preferences toward how synchronous at-a-distance media consumption is conducted, in a laboratory study of 12 pairs, by enhancing media immersion and supporting embodied telepresence for communication. Finally, we discuss the implications these studies have for the near-future of consumer synchronous at-a-distance media consumption. When combined, these studies begin to explore a design space regarding the varying ways in which at-a-distance media consumption can be supported and experienced (through music, TV content, augmenting existing TV content for immersion, and immersive VR content), what factors might influence usage and adoption and the implications for supporting communication and telepresence during media consumption

Virtual Location-Based Services: Merging the Physical and Virtual World

Location-based services gained much popularity through providing users with helpful information with respect to their current location. The search and recommendation of nearby locations or places, and the navigation to a specific location are some of the most prominent location-based services. As a recent trend, virtual location-based services consider webpages or sites associated with a location as 'virtual locations' that online users can visit in spite of not being physically present at the location. The presence of links between virtual locations and the corresponding physical locations (e.g., geo-location information of a restaurant linked to its website), allows for novel types of services and applications which constitute virtual location-based services (VLBS). The quality and potential benefits of such services largely depends on the existence of websites referring to physical locations. In this paper, we investigate the usefulness of linking virtual and physical locations. For this, we analyze the presence and distribution of virtual locations, i.e., websites referring to places, for two Irish cities. Using simulated tracks based on a user movement model, we investigate how mobile users move through the Web as virtual space. Our results show that virtual locations are omnipresent in urban areas, and that the situation that a user is close to even several such locations at any time is rather the normal case instead of the exception

The human side of digital transformation : understanding the changing role of employees and leaders

In the last few years, digital transformation forced organizations to integrate digital technology into different business areas. While many companies undergoing a digital transformation focus on the technology-side, the more successful approach to tackle digital transformation is focusing on the people who make things work (Berlin, 2018; Kane, 2019). Digital transformation has tremendously changed the way people live and work (Larson & DeChurch, 2020). Employees are augmented or substituted by technology (Breidbach & Maglio, 2016; Breidbach et al., 2018; Huang & Rust, 2018) and hence, employee roles are changing, and new skills are required (Bowen, 2016). Moreover, leader roles are changing in the light of digital transformation (Larson & DeChurch, 2020; Schallmo et al., 2017). They find themselves confronted with challenging and complex situations, such as introducing a new agile mindset (Kane, 2019). In addition to the outlined challenges for employees and leaders, digital transformation was accelerated in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees and leaders were required to work from home to follow social distancing restrictions (Brynjolfsson et al., 2020). Suddenly, new daily routines such as the intense use of digital tools while working from home were established (Criscuolo et al., 2020). In their roles as pioneers, motivators, and mentors, leaders have a particularly decisive function during the pandemic (Bartsch et al., 2020). In sum, the challenges of digital transformation and the COVID-19 pandemic can be described as a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environment, also referred to as VUCA world (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014). It is important to understand the required roles and skill set for employees and leaders acting in a VUCA world, to be able to improve skills by training or learning on the job (Peterson et al., 2001). However, existing research regarding the human side of digital transformation accelerated by a global pandemic and the changing roles of employees and leaders is stretched to their limits. Thus, this dissertation focusses on employees and leaders as key factors for a successful digital transformation (Kane, 2019), by answering the following research questions: (1) How do digital transformation and new technologies transform service employee and leadership roles? (2) What specific skills are required for service employees in technology-based service encounters? (3) What are appropriate leadership behaviors in the context of digital transformation? (4) Which leadership practices do leaders perform from home during the COVID-19 pandemic? (5) How can leaders be effective working remotely with the aid of digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic? By answering the research questions, this thesis advances research on the human side of digital transformation in four important points. First, this research extends our understanding on the human side of digital transformation by focusing on the changing roles, skills and practices of employees and leaders in the light of a (crisis-induced) digital transformation. Second, this thesis contributes to our understanding of how technology is changing employees roles in the service encounter. Specifically, this thesis explores which particular skills service employees need to perform in the technology-based service encounter. Hence, a skill-based framework for frontline service employees is presented. Third, this thesis contributes to leadership research by providing a deeper understanding of leadership challenges resulting from digital transformation. Moreover, this thesis presents insights into digital leadership roles appropriate to the leadership challenges associated with digital transformation, including a measurement scale for the identified leadership roles. Fourth, this thesis contributes to existing virtual and crisis leadership literature. Existing findings are supplemented by demonstrating the suitability of video conferences to make up for face-to-face communication when leading from home. In addition, this thesis reveals several drivers and barriers with positive and negative impacts on leadership effectiveness when coping with crisis-specific challenges. Following an introduction (chapter 1), this thesis is divided into three main chapters with a concluding overarching discussion (chapter 5). Chapter 2 examines employee roles and skills in technology-based service encounters, Chapter 3 includes the conceptualization of a Digital Transformation Leadership Framework, and Chapter 4 explores the daily experience of leaders aiming to lead effectively while using digital tools and working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the global pandemic has pushed organizations to change current practices and embrace digital solutions while creating hybrid collaboration models, this research might encourage further research on the human side of digital transformation.Die Digitale Transformation hat Unternehmen dazu bewegt, neue Technologien in verschiedene Geschäftsbereiche zu integrieren. Dabei konzentrieren sich viele Unternehmen auf die technologische Seite. Es erweist sich jedoch als erfolgreicher, sich zunächst auf die Menschen zu fokussieren, die am Ende die Umsetzung verantworten (Berlin, 2018; Kane, 2019), denn die digitale Transformation hat die Art und Weise, wie Menschen arbeiten, enorm verändert (Larson & DeChurch, 2020). Mitarbeiter kollaborieren mit neuen Technologien oder werden ganz durch sie ersetzt (Breidbach & Maglio, 2016; Breidbach et al., 2018; Huang & Rust, 2018) somit werden neue Mitarbeiterfähigkeiten benötigt (Bowen, 2016). Darüber hinaus verändert sich die Rolle der Führungskräfte (Larson & DeChurch, 2020; Schallmo et al., 2017), deren Umfeld immer komplexer, dynamischer und digitaler wird. Zusätzlich wurde die digitale Transformation im Jahr 2020 durch die COVID-19-Pandemie beschleunigt. Mitarbeiter*innen und Führungskräfte müssen von zu Hause aus arbeiten, um Kontakte zu vermeiden (Brynjolfsson et al., 2020). Neue Alltagsroutinen wie die intensive Nutzung digitaler Tools im Homeoffice etablieren sich (Criscuolo et al., 2020). Als digitale Vordenker, Motivatoren und Mentoren haben Führungskräfte während der Pandemie eine besonders entscheidende Funktion (Bartsch et al., 2020). Zusammenfassend lassen sich die genannten Herausforderungen als volatiles, unsicheres, komplexes und mehrdeutiges Umfeld beschreiben (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014). In einer sogenannten VUCA-Welt ist es wichtig, (neue) Rollen und erforderliche Fähigkeiten der Mitarbeiter*innen und Führungskräfte zu verstehen, um diese beispielsweise durch Training verbessern zu können (Peterson et al., 2001). Die bisherige Forschung zur menschlichen Seite der durch eine globale Pandemie beschleunigten digitalen Transformation und die sich wandelnden Rollen von Mitarbeitern und Führungskräften ist jedoch recht limitiert. Daher konzentriert sich diese Dissertation auf Mitarbeiter*innen und Führungskräfte, die als Schlüsselfaktoren für eine erfolgreiche digitale Transformation gelten (Kane, 2019). Folgende Forschungsfragen werden beantwortet: (1) Wie verändern die digitale Transformation und neue Technologien die Rollen von Servicemitarbeitern und Führungskräften? (2) Welche spezifischen Fähigkeiten werden von Servicemitarbeitern in technology-based service encounters benötigt? (3) Welches Führungsverhalten ist im Kontext der dig. Transformation angemessen? (4) Welche Führungspraktiken zeigen Führungskräfte während der COVID-19-Pandemie, wenn sie von zu Hause aus arbeiten? (5) Wie können Führungskräfte während der COVID-19-Pandemie mithilfe digitaler Tools effektiv auf Distanz führen? Diese Arbeit leistet einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Erforschung der menschlichen Seite der digitalen Transformation. Erstens wird das Verständnis der menschlichen Seite der digitalen Transformation erweitert, indem sich diese Thesis auf die sich ändernden Rollen, Fähigkeiten und Praktiken von Mitarbeiter*innen und Führungskräften im Kontext einer (krisenbedingten) digitalen Transformation konzentriert. Zweitens erweitert diese Dissertation das Verständnis, wie Technologie die Rolle der Mitarbeiter*innen im Service-Kontext verändert. Konkret wird untersucht, welche besonderen Fähigkeiten Servicemitarbeiter*innen in technology-based service encounters mitbringen müssen. Es wird ein kompetenzbasiertes Framework für Servicemitarbeiter*innen entwickelt. Drittens trägt diese Arbeit zur Führungsforschung bei, indem sie ein tieferes Verständnis der Führungsherausforderungen liefert, die sich aus der digitalen Transformation ergeben. Darüber hinaus bietet diese Thesis Einblicke in Führungsrollen im Kontext der digitalen Transformation und entwickelt eine Messskala. Viertens trägt diese Dissertation zur bestehenden Literatur zu virtueller Führung und Führung während Krisen bei. Vorhandene Erkenntnisse werden ergänzt, indem insbesondere die Eignung von Videokonferenzen als Ausgleich für die Face-to-Face-Kommunikation bei der Führung von zu Hause nachgewiesen wird. Darüber hinaus zeigt diese Arbeit Treiber und Barrieren der Führungseffektivität bei der Führung auf Distanz auf. Nach einer Einführung (Kapitel 1) gliedert sich diese Arbeit in drei Hauptkapitel mit einer abschließenden übergreifenden Diskussion (Kapitel 5). Kapitel 2 untersucht die Rollen und Fähigkeiten der Mitarbeiter*innen in technology-based service encounters, Kapitel 3 beinhaltet die Konzeption eines Digital Transformation Leadership Frameworks und Kapitel 4 untersucht die tägliche Erfahrung von Führungskräften im Homeoffice unter Einsatz von digitalen Tools. Diese Dissertation bietet Ansatzpunkte für weitere Forschung in diesem zunehmend bedeutsamer werdenden Forschungsfeld

An Adoption Framework for Mobile Augmented Reality Games: The Case of Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go was the first mobile augmented reality (AR) game to reach the top of the download charts of mobile applications. However, little is known about this new generation of mobile online AR games. Existing theories provide limited applicability for user understanding. Against this background, this research provides a comprehensive framework based on uses and gratification theory, technology risk research, and flow theory. The proposed framework aims to explain the drivers of attitudinal and intentional reactions, such as continuance in gaming or willingness to invest money in in-app purchases. A survey among 642 Pokémon Go players provides insights into the psychological drivers of mobile AR games. The results show that hedonic, emotional, and social benefits and social norms drive consumer reactions while physical risks (but not data privacy risks) hinder consumer reactions. However, the importance of these drivers differs depending on the form of user behavior

Resilience: Health in a New Key

This is the story of resilience, the remarkable capacity of individuals and communities to bounce back from adversity and even thrive in a world of turmoil and change. How we can begin to build on our strengths -- instead of becoming prisoners of our weaknesses -- is the subject of this issue brief

Hidden in Plain Sight: Tehran\u27s Empowering Protean Spaces

As a recent citizen I noticed Tehran\u27s urge for new kinds of public spaces. So, I initiated a dissertation that outlined a call for protean space. Cities need protean spaces as a means to empower people, places that offer social interaction and support--spaces that are safe, accessible, and intriguing. Protean spaces empower people to create places for personal and interpersonal relationships, make social connections, gain information, and build trust across varied networks. My dissertation examined how planning and design practices can enhance the possibility of protean spaces and therefore increase their number. While my research concerns Tehran, all cities benefit from their creation. Professionals can foster the creation if they could consider the ad hoc ways people--over time and within a given site--create opportunities for self-growth and human contact. Tehran lacks accessible and welcoming public spaces and suffers from inadequate, inflexible, and expensive housing. To renew Tehran\u27s public spaces, my dissertation mapped Tehran\u27s marginal possibilities in unconventional urban territories, in the natural residues, ordinary streets, and domestic zones. There, I suggest alternative ways of recycling the city\u27s fragmented space to foster protean spaces. I studied alternative processes that could enhance and increase protean spaces there. The process draws inspirations from how Tehranis have made places, for example, in patoghs. The process can accommodate Tehranis with better protean spaces for future adaptations. Protean space opportunities exist at the intra-city residual natural landscapes: the leftover green patches on the Alborz Mountain ridges, half-erased river-valley corridors, and underground matrix of abandoned qanats. These sites are currently disconnected from the city\u27s structure and its people. Mundane sidewalks--readily available, fully public, and free of charge--are opportunity sites. Due to the deficiency and hostility of public spaces, people appropriate sidewalks as ad hoc meeting places, but most sidewalks produce uninteresting and clichéd experiences. Average houses are private sites with public space design possibilities. Tehran\u27s housing crisis has produced inadequate and pricey homes, often poorly constructed and of singularly uninspired design. Despite being unexciting and lacking identity, they offer leftover space possibilities between, below, atop, and inside that could be repurposed